Learning CPR on manikins without breasts puts women's lives at risk

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/nov/21/learning-cpr-on-manikins-without-breasts-puts-womens-lives-at-risk-study-finds

Learning CPR on manikins without breasts puts women’s lives at risk, study finds

Analysis of training models on global market found all had flat torsos with just one having a breast overlay

Natasha May Health reporter
Thu 21 Nov 2024 09.00 EST

Most CPR manikins don’t have breasts, which contributes towards women being less likely to receive life-saving first aid from bystanders, a study has found.

The study led by Dr Rebecca Szabo, the lead of the Gandel Simulation Service at the Royal Women’s hospital in Melbourne, analysed all manikin models on the global market designed for adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training.

Of the 20 different manikins, the researchers found all them had flat torsos with only one model having a breast overlay. Eight were identified as male and seven had no gender specified.

The study, published in the journal Health Promotion International, highlights the findings as an equity issue with implications for the human right to health.

Australian research published in June found women are less likely to receive life-saving CPR after cardiac arrest and less likely to survive.

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(Another one of it’s a man’s world after all.)